Thanatos wandered around his cold dark castle, his heart heavy with regret. That was indeed an emotion which became a normalcy to him, over the many centuries. His chest ached, wishing it was impossibly empty, every time he thought of those blue eyes of hers, and those black silky locks which cascaded down her shoulders just like a veil made from a black, starless sky. Only he knew, how badly he wished in his wildest dreams, he could take her into his arms. But most of all, every single time her sweet scent enveloped his senses, he wished to tell her how beautiful she truly was and how so very much she deserved to be treated like the queen, deserving of everything imaginable.

And he would give her more than that everything.

And he would place the whole never-ending universe at her lovely feet.

And he would bestow her the night sky, filled with stars, for that is what she reminded him of.

Bright darkness in his misery.

Bright because he could have smiled at the mere sight of her, and darkness because she was forbidden to see even a small spark of his hopes.

Thanatos knew his hopes and dreams were impossible, yet he would give anything, to simply forget that fact. He would jump at any opportunity to forget in a heartbeat, however, his dreams can never come true. For, to the rest of the universe, he was Thanatos, the heartless Duke whose heart was cursed and turned to metal. Yet if those beliefs were true, it would be a sympathetic escape, Thanatos knew. The reality for the duke was far more painful than that. The heaviness surrounded him, the knowledge there existed no one, who would ever truly know how he felt, killed him inside.

But what would his self-pity truly change?

Therefore, after his mindless walk, Thanatos entered his lonely office and would breathe out a sigh of relief, if he was alone.

'Thanatos, my friend. You finally gifted me with your precious presence.'

Thanatos furrowed his eyebrows at a sight in front of him. A man sat in Thanatos' office chair, his large legs crossed comfortably on a table and thick arms placed behind his head as he relaxed back on the backrest. His light blue hair beamed, even in the pure darkness surrounding them.

Thanatos appreciated neither the man's sarcasm nor, the sudden intrusion of what was meant to be his breath of appreciated loneliness, 'Poseidon, what do I owe for your wonderful company?' Thanatos asked the robust man, 'and where did you leave your dearest trident?'

Poseidon rolled his eyes, 'no time for small talk, nor your sarcasm Thanatos. My matters for this visit are urgent,' started Poseidon, his posture serious, 'Did I not order you to tell Stefania the truth?' Poseidon asked with an authoritative tone, 'If my brother finds out who she is and that she actually exists, it will be the end of her. He will turn into an erupting volcano if he finds out that a girl who is meant to be dead, is immortal.'

'It's meant to be when,' Thanatos interrupted Poseidon's speech.

'Am I meant to know what you mean by that?' Poseidon asked.

'It's when he finds out she exists. Not if.'

'For your sake as well as Stefania's, let us both hope he does not figure out the truth,' Poseidon took a deep breath as if contemplating his next words, 'look Thanatos. I thought you understood the importance of why we must prepare her for the worst,' Poseidon paused, 'but if you are so unwilling to tell her the truth, I may as well do so because even my consciousness does not let me watch her exist, left in the dark and not understanding her identity.'

'Do what you think is right, Poseidon,' Thanatos said in a bored tone, yet the opposite was the truth.

Thanatos' heart squeezed in his chest, for he wanted to protect Stefania from the truth, forever. He was angry because he had a desire to procrastinate forever or even take her somewhere, where they would never be found. Unfortunately, no such place existed, for Poseidon knew all parts of the universe.

'Really? Playing the emotionless prick now are we?' Poseidon asked, a sardonic smile twisting his lips, 'I know my brother dearest made sure every creature knows he cursed you, but I know turning your heart cold, would be an escape for you. And we both know Zeus is all for the suffering.'

'If coldness measured emotions, then you might be correct. I am full of those so-called emotions,' Thanatos retaliated sarcastically.

Poseidon sent his frenemy one last look full of unspoken judgment and stood up, showing his floor-length light blue silk chiton. The fabric matched his also-blue hair which reached his shoulders. From under it, adequate proportions of a god were visible as well as his arms, which were equally covered in strong muscles, showing his more than exceptional skills of a swimmer. Anyone who saw him, also felt his rightful arrogance radiating from him. Poseidon stalked towards Thanatos, the ex-best friend who a millennium ago renounced their aeon-years-long friendship. His feet did not stop moving until he stood right in front of him.

Thanatos watched him with eyes narrowed into mere slits, ready to kill if that was possible. Unfortunately for Thanatos, it was not. He also felt anger almost radiating from the taller male.

'Okay - let us get something straight, Thanatos. I merely visited for a friendly warning. You have until this evening to tell her, or I will, and trust me I will not take her emotions into consideration,' Poseidon said.

His voice held authority Thanatos did not hear in decades, 'I still remain the brother of Zeus, the king of Phaos. I am the prince of Okeanus and I will not tolerate anyone toying with me, even the closest of friends!'

'Luckily for you, however, we ended our friendship a long time ago. You can do whatever you see right, and I will finally stop having this weight on my shoulders once and for all. I will finally rid of her burden," said Thanatos with a sharp gaze and a rock-hard face.

The burden of his love for her nothing knowing self.

He cannot tell her.

He cannot show her.

He cannot even feel her, without dooming himself to centuries of lonely suffering.

Thank his divinity himself, not even Poseidon had the ability to guess what Thanatos was thinking, at any given time and he liked it that way. It was better for him and he was eternally grateful for the privacy of his thoughts, which were no one's but his own.

He was desperate to keep it that way yet his thoughts, wandered to his one and only Phobia; Zeus being able to know everything there was to know about him, even his thoughts and his own heart desires.

'Maybe I was wrong. Zeus must have done a brilliant job, for, you turned out to be the way he wanted you to be. I should congratulate him, his punishments were never flawless, always held even the smallest of mistakes. But with you, I can't seem to find any.'

Thanatos felt the sharpness of Poseidon's words and he was aware of the intensity the truth held within itself. Zeus has won and pathetically, Thanatos had let him win the unknown war, for, emotions should be something which only belongs to the owner. Yet if you cannot share them with the right members of the universe, they may as well be foreign.

'The time for the unwelcome visit is up. You may be Zeus' brother, however, Syndesi is still my residency and the only one who is allowed to rule over me is Hades. So, kindly return to your fishtail and your precious mermaids. Amphitrite is probably getting impatient for your arrival,' Thanatos said, venom dripping from each syllable.

'Oh, and next time you feel like visiting me, make sure you wash the fishy smell from your skin. It makes me gag,' Thanatos slighted and turned, being ready to leave.

There was a time, once upon a time, when they were friends, yet a creature who is allegedly emotionless, can't have any friends.

'Alright then, But I hope Stefania comes to understand what kind of creature you are before it's too late. Even your wife realised. That is the reason she never loved you,' Poseidon told with a wide grin, which did not reach his light blue eyes.

***

It was never Poseidon's intention to torment his former friend, for, he still cared and respected him. His only intention was to wake his dormant emotions, for Thanatos did not deserve to spend the eternity in impassibility, just because he made a small mistake. He was unsure what curse his own brother sent on Thanatos, however, every venom has an antidote and Poseidon was willing to help his friend who was in need of a wakeup call. Failure was not a possibility when he still saw Thanatos as his best friend, the same one who helped him temporarily drown out his failures and non-returnable mistakes.

He was willing to do the same for him no matter the fact, they have not uttered a friendly word to each other in centuries.

He was willing to fight for his friend's happiness just like he did for him when they still saw each other as friends, not the enemies they were now.

Poseidon wished to return to times long gone, to the day when a brother pact was made between three friends; Thanatos, Hypnos and himself, when they were still inseparable, the best of friends. But unfortunately mistakes were made and the wrath of the ruler, also his brother, was impossible to escape from.

It seems like yesterday but also so very far away; impossible to get back when the three of them were not the same as they used to be.

'Shut your mouth!' Thanatos shouted and ran towards Poseidon.

The exact reaction Poseidon wanted.

Thanatos pushed him towards the wall with strength a mere mortal would not survive, until the black plaster started falling onto the floor. His free hand lifted towards his neck, the fingers closing around the perimeter and pressing hard.

'You may be an immortal, but trust me when I say this. I know all the right methods to make one suffer in great agony, immortal or not,' Thanatos pronounced each word slowly and understandably.

Each syllable was injected with poison, dripping from his friend's tongue, yet Poseidon was very aware, it was not enough to make him angry, however. He needed to use the lowest of the all blows. Something which would show all the anger he is able to possess within him. At the end of the day, anger and hate are not so far away from love and devotion. Closer than anyone would dare to guess.

'You know what crossed my mind?' Poseidon started, still breathless from the still suffocating pressure Thanatos still put on his neck, preventing him from breathing, 'I should visit our dearest Hypnos.'

Poseidon saw the change as soon as that name left his mouth. Thanatos' eyes darkened, leaving no space for the whites, letting go of his swollen neck, punching his nose. It felt as if he really used everything he had in him.

A blood vessel was burst, causing a minor nose bleed and the nose was distorted, maybe broken.

Poseidon did not care about the pain, as he knew it would heal within minutes. What shook him slightly was the slight difference in Thanatos' eyes, when he mentioned his deceased wife who owned his heart, or even Hypnos who in return owned hers. He saw slight sadness and dislike, yet there was no hate held in the depths of his irises anymore.

Even though he attacked him, he was at peace.

The peace which Poseidon could not fathom, yet he was sure the reason was not that he was emotionless.

Because not even Zeus had the power to steal someone's feelings.

Poseidon wiped his bleeding nose to the back of his hand and looked at his friend, whose eyes once again switched emotions off, as if on demand.

He, therefore, tried a different tactic, returning to the main reason he paid him a visit that day, 'Thanatos, please give me one valid reason, why you can't tell Stefania the truth yourself. You act like you are trying to avoid unknown consequences.'

Poseidon watched as Thanatos' eyes turned glassy, yet there was no way, it was due to tears, 'Please don't do this to me,'

Thanatos' voice was weak, almost unheard, however, Poseidon heard him way too well and for the first time in centuries, he saw his friend's emotions break through his strong defences; weak, almost non-existent, yet very much alive.

A pain shot through his insides, bile rising in his throat as a cough came to the surface. He would think nothing of it if he did not cough up blood.

He looked at his blood covered palm and raised his sight towards Thanatos, who only stood there in shock.

'What did my brother do to you?' Poseidon asked his throat sore and trembling.

'He gave me the power to kill immortals. If you wish to live, you would choose to leave or may as well be dead,' Poseidon said, his voice monotone.

His eyes were once again glassy and this time, Poseidon knew he was crying, when one tear escaped down Thanatos' cheek. Poseidon has never seen a powerful creature cry, until now, yet as soon as he seen the proof, Thanatos turned cruel once again, cold as an iceberg. Each cell frozen, full of ruthlessness.